Our Father is the Christian prayer par excellence and elaborated by Jesus of Nazareth according to the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 6, 9-13) and the Gospel of Luke (Lk 11, 1-4).
There may be many interpretations but only one of them will be cited according to the Catholic perspective:
In this prayer we see the total coherence of Jesus with his teachings, and to demonstrate it in each part of the prayer a biblical quote is given relating how Jesus fulfilled each of the things that speaks in our father.
Our Father who are in Heaven
God can be invoked as a Father according to the biblical revelation in Psalm 103 (102): 13: "As the Father has compassion on the children, so the Eternal feels sorry for those who fear him" This prayer puts us in communion with the Father and the Son.
That you are in Heaven designates the majesty of God and his presence in the hearts of the righteous.
Hallowed be thy name
When asking to be sanctified be your name men enter into the plan of God: the sanctification of his Name, which was revealed to Moses and then revealed in Jesus. All nations and men must recognize God.
Let your kingdom come.
The Church has in mind the return of Christ and the definitive coming of the Kingdom of God. We also pray for the aggrandizement of the Kingdom of God in each person in his daily life, that is, with ordinary acts, men must magnify the Kingdom of God.
Thy will be done on Earth as in Heaven.
In this third petition they pray to the Father to unite the will of men to the will of his Son to carry out the plan of Salvation in the life of the world. Christ was very aware of this when he did the will of his Father.
«And going forward a little, he fell on his face, praying and saying: My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; but it is not as I want, but as you wish. "Mt 26:39
Give us today our daily bread
According to Catholic Christianity, there are three interpretations about what is the bread of each day: the material sustenance, the word of God and the Body of Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist:
The material sustenance expresses the trust that the children have to their Father in Heaven. The expression our bread refers to the earthly elements for subsistence
The Word of God is considered as bread of Life.
The Eucharist is contained within this fourth petition, for Catholics Jesus himself instituted his apostles at the Last Supper to be transmitted to men of all times and from generation to generation
Forgive our offenses as we forgive those who offend us.
This petition implores the divine mercy, which can not be received if the enemies are not forgiven as Jesus did on the cross Luke 23:34 "Jesus said: 'Father forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing'"
Do not let us fall into temptation
God is asked to remove them from the paths that can lead them to sin. The Holy Spirit is implored to give discernment and strength.
And deliver us from evil
Here God is asked to remove the difficulties of the believer's way.
Yes Riveradc, as part of Christian worship, the Our Father is considered the prayer par excellence. And it is even thought of as the model to follow within the Christian confession. In addition, we must add that being a prayer that Jesus himself taught us, keeps an invaluable spiritual and religious value.
Resteem
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The Lord's Prayer is a model prayer. We shouldn't recite the prayers of others. It makes no sense. It's like sending God a greeting card.
You can also pray using the ACTS model of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication.
Greetings @barncat . I was clear in this post, many will agree as others do not, but these comments are based on what many Catholics indicate in relation to this universal and powerful prayer. Your comment is respected but there are people who can think differently
Christ himself taught us how to pray. This is a powerful section of scripture that outlines different aspects we should consider in our prayers.
I must say you I like the way you have outlined each aspect.